CHICO — The days are shorter, the weather is cold and wet, and the kids are restless. What better time to bundle up the family and take them to Chico State University's Laxson Auditorium for the crazy animal antics of Gregory Popovich's Comedy Pet Theater? The cast of more than 30 animal performers will be gracing the Chico stage on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Popovich, a fifth-generation circus performer, began the show with one dog and one cat back in the 1990s, building up to a full show by 2000.

"We started with a 30-minute show at the fair," Popovich said in an interview this week. "Eventually I met more talented pets and the show grew until it was 90 minutes in length."

Comedy Pet Theater has been featured on "The Tonight Show", "The Letterman Show," "America's Got Talent" and, more recently, on Animal Planet's "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

Popovich was previously voted "Entertainer of the Year" by the American Circus Association and has performed his animal theater show in more than 20 countries.

All of Popovich's animal stars have been rescued from shelters. In addition to creating a truly entertaining performance, he hopes to help raise awareness about homeless animals.

The show and its performers are permanently based out of Las Vegas, but began their most recent tour this month. The production is a blend of comedy, stunts, juggling and, of course, a fair amount of clowning. It is a show that is guaranteed to entertain young and old, alike.

"The show is always being updated and we always try to work out new acts," he said.

Popovich's philosophy is to build tricks around each animal's individual personality and skill, rather than attempting to get them to perform an action "outside of their nature." He centers his techniques on positive reinforcement and a compassionate training style.

One of his favorite performance memories happened during one of the Las Vegas shows.

"I was working in the casino, Circus Circus," he shared. "I was working with some new cats. The stage is located in the middle of the casino. Suddenly one woman won the Megabox and all the cats on stage stopped working and turned around and began to listen to the noise of dropping coins — they had never heard it before. The audience all laughed, they understood the situation completely."